This book was a little pricey so I was leery of purchasing it. However, I was in the mood for a biker read and thought why not give it a try.

Let me tell you, it was awesome. No disappointment. It had everything I like in a good biker book.

#1 – Hot, alpha biker guy

#2 – Sweet, pretty non-biker girl who thinks the scary biker is hot.

#3 – A great story.

#4 – It was steamy

Marie just left her abusive husband and moved in with her brother, Jeff, who does some business for a motorcycle group called the Reapers. The Reapers are a dangerous motorcycle club and one of their members is the hot, bad-ass biker, Horse. Yes, Horse is his name.

The minute that Marie sees Horse, she knows he is danger and everything she wants avoid. However, Horse is one man that knows what he wants and does not take no for an answer. When Jeff is found stealing from the Reapers, Horse makes Marie an offer that she knows that she cannot refuse if she wants to save Jeff’s life. The offer is for Marie to move into his home and do everything and anything he asks her to do…no questions asked.

Horse can be a jerk and I wanted to kick him sometimes. I understand through his POV in the book why he had to be a jerk, but it doesn’t mean I had to like it. Horse is just lucky he was as hot and sexy and showed his loving side to Marie or he would still be on my crappy jerk list. Yeah, I have a list!

This is a book that many friends told me to read and said even though the plot is very simple story with an alpha biker it is worth my time. After finishing it, I have to agree. No regrets paying the money and reading this one.

Did I skim? No. The story had my interest. I loved the writing style. The story did not drag.

Did I feel connected to the characters? Yes.

Will I pick up other books by this author? Yes.

Pace of story? Good

Positives: It was hot with enough drama that it kept my attention.

Negatives: It could be a little corny sometimes, but you know in the end I loved it all. It worked.

Where do I start so I give this book an awesome review like it deserves? So many fond thoughts I have after finishing this awesome book. Days after finishing, I still can’t get my thoughts in order.

Quick Synopsis: Nicholas Turner moves to Dublin, Ireland and across the hall from Freda Wilson (or as she prefers to be called “Fred”). Nicholas gets a job to perform as the main act at his friend’s drag queen bar. Nicholas dresses up as the drag queen, Vivica Blue. Now Nicholas is all man. He is tall, handsome and confident. He is not gay or bi. At first, Fred is not sure what to make of Nicholas, as the drag queen, Vivica Blue, but she is later hired to work as his assistant and begins to see and understand Nicholas.

“We all paint a face to show the world. For some of us, that’s quite literal.”

Nicholas he is just *sigh* I am a grown woman and yes that was just a *sigh* over a fictional character.

I loved how Nicholas loved Fred for being Fred. Fred knows she will never be the prettiest or thinnest girl at the party or bar, but she is sweet, confident and strong.

“I might not have a boyfriend, but I have cupcakes, and those tasty bastards haven’t let me down yet.”

I cried. I laughed. I sighed. I held my breath. Beautiful from beginning to end.

I am asking (well begging) the author, L.H. Cosway, to write more with these characters. I would love to read some of the scenes in Nicholas’s POVs. I would also love to see this book on the big screen.

The author did an amazing job putting the music together with the scenes. While reading, I would go on YouTube, find the song listed in the book and have it play in the background. The music fit perfectly with what was happening in the story. Even the scenes that made me hold my breath or shed a tear.

The loves scenes in this book are among the most beautiful that I have ever read. The intimacy between these characters just melted my heart. Nicholas melted my heart.

Now my favorite part in the entire book…hands down…is the scene that Elbow sings “ONE DAY LIKE THIS”. I will not tell you more about that scene. I do not want to ruin that moment for you. However, I will leave you with this…that scene was one of my all-time favorite scene in any book I have ever read.

I hope you read this book. Please do not let the drag queen aspect of the story turn you off. This is a beautiful, well written story.

Did I skim? No.

Will I reread? Yes.

Pace of the story? Perfect.

Did I think about this book after I was done? Yes. I still think about certain scenes in the book.

I can’t believe I almost did not read this book. This was an amazing read.

Synopsis: Emily Vargas, who is a successful self-help author and speaker. While on one of her speaking engagements, something is slipped into her drink and she wakes up in a small dark room, held captive. Emily does not know why she was kidnapped. She does not even know who her captor is. In this story, we go through this journey of mental “abuse” where her captor conditions her to be what he wants her to be.

“That’s the thing about conditioning. You can know it’s happening all you want; it doesn’t change the results.”

The minute you start reading, you are immediately involved in what is happening to Emily.

Is there an HEA? Is there romance? Is this a love story? These are questions that you will ask yourself and answer when you finish reading this book.

I do not want to give away much more. I do not want to spoil the story for you since I want you to experience the events with fresh eyes.

The ending left me speechless. The epilogue was brilliant. Many times when I read the ending of the book, I thought how I could have written that better or thought of a better ending. This ending could NOT have been more perfect. It left me thinking and I love when a book does that.

Did I think about the book when I finished? Yes. I finished the book at night and woke up in the morning thinking about the characters. This book has stuck with me.

Will I reread? Not sure if this is a story I will want to experience again. I think it was an excellent book. Maybe it is still too fresh in my mind to think if I will ever reread it. I am still shaken by all the events.

Positives: I wasn’t expecting a lot of what happened in the story and I love that in the book. The writing was amazing.

Negatives: Don’t know. Can’t think of any. I have seen reviews that said that the story was too short, but I disagree. I think it ended at the right time.

Synopsis: Claire Nichols wakes up in a strange bed in a house she has never been to and not sure how she got there. The only things she does know is that the man keeping her captive, Anthony Rawlings, is the tall, handsome, and wealthy man who she just met at the bar she works at. Was Claire just at the wrong place at the wrong time? Was she just the object of lust by a wealthy man who is use to taking whatever he wants?

What Claire does not know is that her captor has been following her for a long time and has been manipulating many of the pivotal moments in her life. What Anthony does not know is the he will become captivated by the beautiful and kind Claire. What they both will learn is that actions have consequences.

When I first finished this book, I had a wide range of emotions… terror, sadness, happiness, lust and then sadness again. My emotions were literally all over the place. How I felt about Anthony depended on what page I was reading. How could I hate this man, be attracted to him and love him all in the same book? I was on an emotional roller-coaster, but one that wanted to go back on once the ride was over!!!

Certain scenes were raw, gritty, dark and disturbing. It was an emotional read that stuck with me for days.

There is a mystery of sorts that will be pieced together with flashbacks every few chapters. At first, these flashbacks were frustrating, but I am glad I did not skip through them.

I did not expect this book to capture me as much as it did. I made the mistake of reading Consequences the week of Thanksgiving, which I was hosting. I was reading and cooking. Thank god that turkey came out good.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars. (I love these stories and this one did not disappoint.)

Did I skim? No

Do I recommend? Yes

Did I feel connected to the characters? Yes. I was emotionally attached to the characters.

Will I reread? Already have.

Did I look forward to the sequel when I was done? Yes.

Ending/Cliffhanger: “OMG”

Author Interview (Part I)

Let me first start by saying how happy I am that you agreed to do this interview, Aleatha. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day.

Christine, thank you for inviting me!

How did you come up with idea for Consequences?

The opening scene of Consequences came to me. I’m not sure if it was a dream or a thought… but I imagined it. The more I thought about it, I wanted to know what was happening. I sat down and started to write…to find out.

I am always curious about this, how did you come to give your main characters their names?

That is a great question. I don’t know. I’ve always liked the name Claire. But Anthony? I think I wanted something that could sound distinguished and also casual… Anthony / Tony. This sounds silly, but his last name came from a ball in my garage- “Rawlings”. Kind of like the “Wilson” in Castaway.

The quotes you have before each chapter, did you write them before or after you wrote the chapter?

Mostly after, I looked for quotes that reflected the mood or essence of the chapter.

If the Consequences series were to be made into a movie, who would you like to play Tony? Claire? Catherine?

Tony was always Joe Magellano in my mind. But lately Jon Hamm and David Gandy have been suggested. I think they would work too. For Claire, I like Natalie Portman or Olivia Wilde. I honestly haven’t given Catherine much thought.

When did you know you wanted to become a writer?

Writing was always a dream and a passion. I don’t think I ever thought I could do it.

When is your favorite time of day to write?

Late at night or very early in the morning, when the house is quiet.

What is your favorite quote and/or scene from Consequences?

That is very hard. I like it all. I love many quotes. One that comes to mind right now is: “He spoke again as if he hadn’t just shattered his promise and her security. Her house of glass now lay in a pile of shards.” … kind of sad.

I am always curious about this, how did you come to give your main characters their names?

That is a great question. I don’t know. I’ve always liked the name Claire. But Anthony? I think I wanted something that could sound distinguished and also casual… Anthony / Tony. This sounds silly, but his last name came from a ball in my garage- “Rawlings”. Kind of like the “Wilson” in Castaway.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging when you write?

Time, balance, organization! I want about 10 more hours in each day. Yet, I’m not sure I’d use them properly… I need more discipline.

What type of reactions did you get from readers after Consequences was published?

Mixed, some people loved it, others hated it. I enjoy evoking emotion and I think I do. Now that Truth is also out, the responses are more positive. It helps that people can see the transformation in the characters.

Is there something in particular you like to eat and/or drink when you write? (I am sorry, I love to eat.)

Everyone knows I like my wine. But, when I’m really into writing I don’t eat or drink much of anything. I’ve lost one laptop and had another very close miss with stemware. So when I do drink, anything, I use stemless glasses!

I have heard repeatedly that many readers felt that what Claire was experiencing with her feelings for Anthony was Stockholm Syndrome. Do you agree?

In Consequences, most definitely.

I was recently asked on Twitter who my favorite villain is. I love when people ask me unexpected questions. So I ask you, who is your favorite villain?

I would have to say Dexter. Or is he an anti-hero? I’m not sure, but I like him!

Okay, let me start by saying that I really liked this book. I am not positive if Rule was Jay Crownover first book, but I could not find anything else by her. All I can say is that she has a new fan and that is me.

I was getting a little frustrated and losing hope that I would not find another good, hot bad-boy with tattoos meets sweet cute girl love story. Well this book brought me out of that drought because I loved it.

These are of course my favorite type of YA/NA stories. Bad boy meets good girl. Bad boy has issues as does the good girl, but they start a relationship with a lot of baggage and other drama. Rule, the bad boy, is a male slut. He is angsty and moody. Shaw Landon is a beautiful, smart, good girl who happens to love Rule even though Rule has no idea. Rule and Shaw have known each other since they were 14 years old. Rule is estranged from his parents after his brother died in an accident 3 years ago.

Every Sunday morning, Shaw picks up Rule and drives him to his parents’ house for brunch only to find Rule with a different girl naked with him in bed. Shaw has not become immune to seeing Rule with those girls. Shaw just keeps her feelings for Rule a secret, because she knows that he does not share the same feelings that she has for him.

This book had me yelling and frustrated with Rule and yet I could not stop reading. The story has you sucked in at page one. It does not drag. Even with the grammar and editing issues, I really enjoyed this book. The romance was steamy, their relationship was hot and I loved all the characters.

Did I skim? No.

Did I feel connected to the characters? Yes.

Do I recommend? Yes.

Will I reread? Yes.

Pace of the story: Good

Will I read the sequel? Yes. I cannot wait to read Jet’s story.

Positives: I liked that the author had one of the obvious angsty issues happen early on in the story. I hate when the author leaves the obvious conflict for the last 20%. In Rule, the main characters deal with the obvious conflict in the first half and then the characters deal with another conflict that I did not see coming later on, which made the story all the more interesting.

Negatives: Grammar and editing. The Kindle book edition I had said the editing problems were corrected, but I still saw a lot of misspelled words and grammar issues. However, once I got passed it, I really enjoyed the story. I think Jay Crownover is a very talented writer and I like her writing style.

I love this book and I love Kristen Ashley for writing a great story about a hot, controlling, alpha male named Knight. If you have never read a Kristen Ashley novel, you must. She is one of my top 5 favorite authors.

Was the story:

Predictable – YES

Hot and Steamy – YES

A lot of unnecessary swearing – Yes

Did I enjoy Knight – Hell Yes

A friend originally lent me this book. I loved it so much that I bought the book a month later and reread it. It was better the second time. There is something about this book that I just love. Knight is true alpha male and I find him appealing and sexy. I love him. Yes, there are some bad qualities in him, but I do not care. I am willing to overlook them because he is so awesome to Anya. He is my favorite Kristen Ashley male character.

The plot is Anya Gage has worked for everything she has every gotten in her life. She has no expectations, no dreams. She is just a good person who accepts life for what it is. Then she finds herself at a party where she doesn’t want to be and she meets Knight. OMG and he is hot!!! While at the party, Anya walks into a bedroom looking for a phone to call a cab only to run into Knight Sebring. Knight knows what he wants and what he wants is Anya. Knight learns that Anya is kind and loving, everything he feels he is not, so he tries to leave her so she can find what she deserves…a good, normal and clean life. Only Anya walks into Knight’s nightclub and he finds it is hard to stay away from her. He only hopes that she does not find out his dark secrets.

Did I skim? NO. The story did not drag at all.

Did I feel connected to the characters? Yes

Do I recommend? Yes

Did I think about this book after I finished? Yes.

Will I reread? Yes. I already read it twice.

Ending/Cliffhanger? The ending and everything was awesome. It completed the story. I love Knight! *sigh*

Pace of the Story: Perfect.

Positives: Everything.

Negative: That Knight and Anya do not have their own series. I want Knight and Anya to have their story continue. I know that they were mentioned and ‘appeared’ in CREED, but I want more.

I do not understand why more people do not love this book. I see the mixed the reviews and cannot believe it. Are we reading the same book????

Gage, a professional football player has been getting death threats from an unknown stalker. Rebecca, a FBI agent is hired to investigate and protect Gage. Gage is a player and Rebecca is a very guarded person. However, they cannot resist their mutual attraction.

This story is told through both POVs which I really liked. I really liked Gage. I thought he was a good person who loved his family and was a stand-up guy, who was also a hot, professional football player. I have a love for contemporary romances with hot sport players.

I liked Rebecca but then she got on my nerves a little. At first, I understood Rebecca’s reasoning for not wanting to start a relationship with Gage, but then it got a little silly and when she finally realized that she should give Gage a try, I was over it.

I love when there is sexual tension, but this one either took too long or just came at a weird time in the book.

I liked the characters, I liked the plot, but I think the execution of the two could have been better.

Overall, this is a very sweet contemporary romance with a little bit of suspense which I enjoy in novels. It was fun trying to figure out who was threatening Gage. I always do enjoy a “who done it.”

Did I skim? A little. I got tired of Rebecca’s silly thoughts about how she should not be with Gage. I felt bad for the guy after the while.

Did I feel connected to the characters? Yes

Do I recommend? If you are looking for a sweet romance with some suspense, yes.